8.14.2015

recently noted thoughts

"selling out is usually more a matter of buying in." -- bill watterson

“the main function of the human brain, the primary instinct, is
storytelling. Memory is storyelling. If we all remembered everything, we
would be Rain Man, and would not be socially active at all. We learn to
forget and to distort, but we [also] learn to tell a story about
ourselves.”﻿ -- joss whedon

"It's fairly clear that one of the defining characteristics of the
21st century so far has been the creeping installation of a system
optimized to exclude public opinion from the levers of power despite
continuing to pay lip service to principles of democratic
accountability: is this another (and big) step in ensuring that
democracy can't actually threaten the interests of the global financial
sector?" -- charlie stross [on TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership]

"the ability to change anything was the change that changed everything." -- kevin ashton ["how to fly a horse"]"while you cannot force ideas into existence, you can coax them into
view. When you first notice some exciting fragment, your impulse may be
to brush it aside. It looks so ... so small, so slight. Don't be
deceived. What matters is not the idea's size but its resonance." -- stephen koch ["modern library writer's workshop: a guide to craft of fiction"]

"The 'draw a line' philosophy offers a substantial political
advantage to people with hidden agendas. The method for getting what you
want is first to draw the line somewhere that nobody would object to,
and then gradually move it to where you really want it, arguing
continuity all the way." -- terry pratchett, ian stewart & jack cohen ["the science of discworld"]

"To merely act as a conduit of inspiration from naturally-occurring
phenomena to an audience is a great and important task, but it is the
task of the journalist, not of the artist. The artist’s role is not in
being a passive messenger, but in creating new configurations, symbols
and metaphors – aesthetic experiences – that one would not be able to
experience on their own, even if afforded the same access to the same
subject." -- guy tal

"Hold on, an author can wait 55 years between books and people will still be interested? Man, this changes everything..." -- patrick rothfuss

"I know self-care is important. As Morpheus said, there’s a
difference between knowing the path and walking the path. But here comes
Red Riding Hood to remind you that walking the path is all well and
good, but it’s even harder to stay on that path once you’ve started." -- jim hines

"Practicing isn’t always hard. At times, practice is joyous. When you
are working at the edge of your abilities, acquiring mastery of
something difficult that you value, practice is the best feeling. But if
you only practice when it brings you joy, you won’t practice much.
Logging the requisite hours inevitably involves some slogging." -- cory doctorow

"The Confederate flag is directly tied to the Confederate cause, and
the Confederate cause was white supremacy. This claim is not the result
of revisionism. It does not require reading between the lines. It is the
plain meaning of the words of those who bore the Confederate flag
across history." -- ta-nehisi coates

"Debating
creationists on the topic of evolution is rather like trying to play
chess with a pigeon -- it knocks the pieces over, craps on the board,
and flies back to its flock to claim victory." -- scott d. weitzenhoffer